Storm Surge in Texas, August 26 to 27, 2020

Name: Storm Surge in Texas, August 26 to 27, 2020
Start: 2020-08-26T12:00
End: 2020-08-27T10:00
Location: Texas

August 26 to 27, 2020 · NWS HGX · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

Hurricane Laura made landfall along the southwest Louisiana coast. The hurricane brought high surf, elevated tides and some winds and wind gusts to tropical storm force along the SE Texas coast.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS HGX wrote it up.

Hurricane Laura made landfall along the southwest Louisiana coast. The hurricane brought high surf, elevated tides and some winds and wind gusts to tropical storm force along the SE Texas coast. There we no measured sustained winds to tropical storm force at land observation sites and very little rainfall.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Houston/Galveston, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 26, 11:17 AM CST, 43 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 26, 11:17 AM CST, 43 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Houston/Galveston TX
1217 PM CDT Wed Aug 26 2020

.AVIATION...
Aviation weather will be less than ideal as Hurricane Laura
approaches the SW LA coast later tonight. A surge of moisture
will move across area TAF sites this afternoon and bring scattered
showers and storms to most TAF sites. Will maintain a TEMPO for
the SE TAF sites this aftn. As Laura intensifies and heads north,
the moisture becomes tightly wrapped around the center and not
really expecting much precip over area TAF sites overnight. Will
maintain a VCSH out of an abundance of caution but models show a
decrease in mstr overnight and soundings don't show any layers
saturated. Winds will be on the increase as the gradient tightens.
Will carry gust groups most sites. Improvement should commence
early Thursday with a mix of MVFR/VFR ceilings becoming VFR.
Could be some aftn shra/tsra with heating on Thursday as PW values
perk back up. 43

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 526 AM CDT Wed Aug 26 2020/

SHORT TERM [Today through Thursday Night]...

Hurricane Laura should move inland tonight...currently on the NHC
forecast to make landfall between Sabine Pass and Lake Calcesieu the
western periphery of the NHC cone is just east of High Island.
Based on the track this implies that CWA may have dodged a big
bullet. Will be watching the track closely for any wiggles or
wobbles today.

Today showers and thunderstorms should flow into the area from the
southeast this morning then expect a band to develop after 11 am and
rotate through the region with gusty winds and brief heavy
downpours. By late afternoon the weather should get breezy to
downright windy as fast moving Hurricane Laura continues to
intensify (to a Cat 4 ultimately) and tropical storm/hurricane
conditions spread into the coastal waters with seas building to 11-
18 feet with increasing tide levels as water piles up on the beaches
and into the bays...peaking this evening with landfall and with the
passage of the strongest winds - sustained winds of 35-45 knots with
higher gusts over Galveston Bay/Chambers/Bolivar/eastern coastal
waters. Tide levels should then drop in portions of the bays late
this evening but the northern shores of Bolivar/Galveston Island and
western portions of West bay could see a slosh of the bay as water
gets pushed back south by the increasing northerly winds and wave
action tonight. Inland areas can still expect gusty winds developing
this afternoon and then strengthening late this afternoon and
tonight as Laura makes landfall.

Will be a good idea to make sure you have prepared by getting
lightweight objects put away and out of the path of the winds. Tree
damage will be possible with falling limbs a threat tonight as
persistent winds buffet them. Shower and thunderstorm filled bands
of rain should spiral across the eastern counties tonight with the
threat of heavy downpours and gusty winds. Toward morning Thursday
Laura should be pulling away to the northeast and winds become more
westerly and northwesterly across the region and gradually coming
down. The rain threat Thursday should be lowering as well until mid
afternoon then expect a band of showers and thunderstorms to form
across the southern areas and persist into the late evening probably
sagging southeastward into the Gulf eventually. Locally heavy
rainfall will be possible with this and if following model runs
continue to ping on this scenario a flash flood watch may be needed.

On a different note the western counties should be relatively rain-
free this morning/afternoon and with the increase in low level
moisture and hot afternoon temperatures could see heat indices of
105-109 there.

The threat for tornadoes looks fairly low and focused more over the
Louisiana area at this time. 45/11/47

LONG TERM [Friday through Wednesday]...

A wet/active pattern is expected across SE TX by Fri through the
weekend in the wake of Laura. A lingering upper level shear axis
along with residual tropical moisture, daytime heating and left-
over boundaries should support mainly daytime scattered showers/
thunderstorms Fri and Sat. However, models (mostly GFS) are very
bullish with the idea of higher POPs/heavy downpours Sun. A well
defined upper low moving up from the S/SW along with progged PWs
at/around 2.6 inches look to be the main factors. Not completely
sold on this at this time, but did keep POPs in the 40-50% range
on Sun. Looking ahead, extended guidance not quite as optimistic
with that possible cold front next week. Weak upper ridging from
the west will be trying to build in this direction by early next
week...and we should revert back to our more typical summer time
pattern of warm/seasonal temperatures...a light/moderate onshore
flow and isolated activity via the seabreeze. 41

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
College Station (CLL)      95  77  96  77  98 / 100  30  40  40  30
Houston (IAH)              94  79  96  79  94 /  50  40  40  60  50
Galveston (GLS)            92  81  92  83  93 / 100  60  30  60  50

&&

.HGX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
TX...Hurricane Warning for the following zones: Chambers...Coastal
     Galveston...Coastal Harris...Galveston Island and Bolivar
     Peninsula...Inland Galveston...Northern Liberty...Polk...
     Southern Liberty.

     Tropical Storm Warning for the following zones: Brazoria
     Islands...Coastal Brazoria...Fort Bend...Grimes...Houston...
     Inland Brazoria...Inland Harris...Madison...Montgomery...
     San Jacinto...Trinity...Walker...Waller.

     Storm Surge Warning for the following zones: Brazoria Islands...
     Chambers...Coastal Galveston...Coastal Harris...Galveston
     Island and Bolivar Peninsula.

     Coastal Flood Advisory until 7 PM CDT Thursday for the following
     zones: Coastal Jackson...Coastal Matagorda...Matagorda
     Islands.

GM...Hurricane Warning for the following zones: Coastal waters from
     High Island to Freeport TX out 20 NM...Galveston Bay...
     Waters from High Island to Freeport TX from 20 to 60 NM.

     Tropical Storm Warning for the following zones: Coastal waters
     from Freeport to Matagorda Ship Channel TX out 20 NM...
     Waters from Freeport to Matagorda Ship Channel TX from 20
     to 60 NM.

&&

Discussion...43
Aviation/Marine...43

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 storm surge/tide. Local standard time, as filed.

Storm Surge/Tide, Galveston Island and Bolivar Peninsula

When: August 26, 12:00 PM CST to August 27, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Galveston Island and Bolivar Peninsula forecast zone
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 29.298, -94.811 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Period of storm surge flooding and high surf from 8/26 to 8/27 leading to flooding of low lying areas and roads. Beach erosion on Gulf side. Tide gauges measured tides 3 to 4 feet above MHHW. Bolivar Peninsula and Galveston Island, including Jamaica Beach, with multiple roads closed.

Storm Surge/Tide, Brazoria Islands

When: August 26, 12:00 PM CST to August 27, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Brazoria Islands forecast zone
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 29.168, -95.434 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Period of storm surge flooding and high surf from 8/26 to 8/27 leading to flooding of low lying areas and roads. Beach erosion. Parts of Surfside, Blue Water Highway flooded. Tide gauges measured tides 3 to 4 feet above MHHW.

Storm Surge/Tide, Coastal Matagorda

When: August 26, 12:00 PM CST to August 27, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Coastal Matagorda forecast zone
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 28.786, -96.004 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Period of storm surge flooding and high surf from 8/26 to 8/27 leading to flooding of low lying areas and roads. Beach erosion. Tide gauges measured tides 3 to 3.5 feet above MHHW. Water above bulkhead in Palacios.

Storm Surge/Tide, Matagorda Islands

When: August 26, 12:00 PM CST to August 27, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Matagorda Islands forecast zone
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 28.786, -96.004 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Period of storm surge flooding and high surf from 8/26 to 8/27 leading to flooding of low lying areas and roads. Beach erosion. Tide gauges measured tides 3 to 3.5 feet above MHHW. High water Matagorda Beach. Signficant beach erosion, damage to a pier Sargent.

Storm Surge/Tide, Coastal Galveston

When: August 26, 12:00 PM CST to August 27, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Coastal Galveston forecast zone
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 29.298, -94.811 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Period of storm surge flooding and high surf from 8/26 to 8/27 leading to flooding of low lying areas and roads around parts of Kemah and other coastal communities. Beach erosion. Tide gauges measured tides 3 to 4 feet above MHHW.

Storm Surge/Tide, Coastal Harris

When: August 26, 12:00 PM CST to August 27, 10:00 AM CST
Where: Coastal Harris forecast zone
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 29.857, -95.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Period of storm surge flooding and high surf from 8/26 to 8/27 leading to flooding of low lying areas and roads. Beach erosion. Tide gauges measured tides 3 to 4 feet above MHHW. Minor flooding around Seabrook, Nassau Bay and other coastal communities around Galveston Bay.

What these are

Storm Surge/Tide: Water pushed ashore above the normal tide by a storm’s winds and low pressure.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Texas in 2020 Every state in 2020 This day in weather history Warnings in Texas, August 2020 The 2020 hurricane season

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 918161, 918162, 918163, 918164, 918165, 918166.